The Japanese network aims to generate 100 billion yen in overseas revenue by 2033 through international partnerships, unscripted formats, and high-end drama co-productions.
During TIFFCOM, Nippon TV detailed its strategic transition from a domestic broadcaster to a global intellectual property (IP) studio. The company presented its mid-term management plan, setting a target of 100 billion yen (approximately $660 million) in international revenue by 2033. To achieve this, the network is shifting its operational focus from traditional content licensing to actively co-creating and nurturing IP in the global market, backed by recent structural reorganizations and new international offices.
Executives explained that scaling globally requires changing the core coordinates of the business. To this end, Nippon TV integrated its scripted divisions—drama, film, and anime—into a unified Studio Center to streamline multi-platform IP development. This strategy is already showing traction in film and animation, highlighted by an upcoming co-production with US distributor Neon for The Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, the international expansion of the Anpanman franchise into North America, and Studio Ghibli’s ongoing global exhibitions in markets like South Korea and the UK.
The network is also generating revenue through technological IP. Its proprietary AI-driven tool, which crops horizontal broadcast video into vertical formats in real-time, is currently utilized by NBC Sports, for basketball broadcasts. Engineering teams from both companies are actively collaborating to refine the tool for live sports environments, demonstrating a model where broadcast technology developed in Japan becomes a standard utility for global production workflows.
In the unscripted sector, Nippon TV’s dedicated format development studio has created 11 new formats over the past 16 months. This rapid output is supported by a newly opened Los Angeles office, which connects Japanese creators with international producers to align projects with global buyer expectations from the initial planning stages. Following presentations at MIPCOM and the London Screenings, formats such as the social experiment Majority Rule, the studio game show Never Look Back, and Ultra Mission—a localized iteration of the domestic hit Ultraman Dash—have secured active offers and co-development deals with global companies.
Scripted co-productions represent another major pillar of the network’s strategy. Beyond successful international remakes of titles like Mother, Woman, and the award-winning Brush Up Life, Nippon TV is leveraging global platforms and international partnerships, including a recent strategic alliance with Warner Bros. Discovery. A primary example of this new operational scale is a high-budget drama currently co-produced with South Korea’s CJ ENM and streaming globally on Disney+. The project required a significant financial and logistical commitment, including the construction of a massive, fully functional house set on Nokonoshima island in Fukuoka.
The TIFFCOM panel highlighted the technical and cultural synergies required to execute cross-border productions of this scale. A CJ ENM executive noted fundamental differences in production philosophies, explaining that Korean teams traditionally prioritize on-set flexibility and adaptation to ensure a project’s success, whereas Japanese teams excel in meticulous planning to minimize risk. By merging these methodologies and maintaining a mixed Japanese-Korean crew, the studios aim to elevate the production value of Japanese dramas while utilizing CJ ENM’s established international network for global distribution.
Moving forward, Nippon TV plans to expand its global pipeline by exploring branded content opportunities and deepening its ties with international studios, including ongoing collaborations with Blue Ant Media and Talpa Studios. By establishing specialized operational hubs in key markets and maintaining a flexible approach to co-creation, the network expects to build a sustainable business model that consistently generates and monetizes global IP across multiple platforms.
